Improved picture-nail



niiet tatea FRIEND W, SMITH, Ja., or BRIDCEPCBT, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 98,438, dated December28, 1869.

IMPROVED PICTURE-NAIL.

Y The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making Dart of the same.

To all whom it may concewt:

Be it known that I, FRIEND W. SMITH, Jr., of Bridgeport, in the county vot' Fairfield, and lState of Connecticut, have invented a new and improved Attachment for Picture-Nail Heads, and other articles, of which the following is a full, Clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming 'part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents a front view of my improved device` or attachment;

Figure 2,a transverse section thereof, as applied to a. nail-head; and

Figure 3, a rear view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This improvement relates to attachments for picture-nail heads, bumpers, or Stoppers for doors, and other articles in which the same forms a supplementary head or cover to the nail-head or article that carries it. Attachments of this description have been variously constructed. Thus, they have been screwed on ;.also, have been fitted by a dovetail-lock; but such involve no small expense and labor, as both the attachment itself and nail-end, or article it is designed to betitted on to, require to be peculiarly and accurately formed to establish the connection, and the same attachment is only applicable to one-sized nail or article, and is not capable ot' heilig fitted thereon with that facility and dispatch which is desirable.

My invention removes all these objections, and for the purpose of illustration will here be described. as applied to a picture or other nail.

The invention consists in a head made of any suitable material, size, and shape, with or without an ornament on the face -of it, and having secured to the back of it a tiexible. and elastic diaphragm or lining, for centring and holding the head in its place. For this purpose, said head is formed with a cavity that is covered or filled with rubber, leather, or other exible material, in which is a hole or incision or incisions, to

receive the nail-head or end of the article within it.

Referring to the accompanying drawing'- A represents the head of the attachment, formed with a cavity, a, in its back, which is covered with a rubber or other suitable and flexible diaphragm, B, that has an incision orcross-cuts, b b, made in its ceutre.

Thus made, when it is required to tit `the attachment on to or over the head o of a picture or other.`

nail, (l, it is only necessary to press said attachmfnt up against the nail-head, and so that the latter is forced through the incisions in the flexible diaphragm, np against the back of the cavity a, in doing which the elastic or flexible lips formed by the incisions are bent or turned inward, and made to clip the body of the nail on the back side ot' its head, as Clearly represented in fig. 2, and whereby the attachment is cen-A, tred and held to its place.

Such an attachment may be applied with the utmost facility and despatch, and can be used (that is, the same attachment) on different-sized nails 'of the ordinary or common description, which are much cheaper than ones of special construction.

It, also, may be detached with equal facility and despatch, hy simply pulling it off the nail or nailhead, which will be found ot' great convenience, as, for instance, when required to take down a picture.

When, however, the attachment is in its place on the nail-head, it is held firm by'the elastic clip of the diaphragm.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The flexible and elastic diaphragm or lining at tached to the back of the head, to operatey substantia-lly as and for the purpose herein set forth.

FRIEND W. SMITH, JR.

Witnesses: J oHN D. RossET,

HENRY PALMER. 

